House panel passes bill to prohibit threats against legislative witnesses

BATON ROUGE -- A House committee gave unanimous support Wednesday to a bill that would expand the crime of extortion to include threats made against individuals who testify at legislative hearings.

File photoRep. Ernest Wooton, I-Belle Chasse

House Bill 497 by Rep. Ernest Wooton, I-Belle Chasse, now goes to the full House for debate.

Rep. Damon Baldone, D-Houma, who handled the bill for Wooton before the Committee on the Administration of Criminal Justice, said the measure is aimed at reducing threats against witnesses who may testify before legislative committees or in retribution for their testimony.

The bill would also prohibit "a threat to cause harm as retribution for participation in any legislative proceeding" as well as administrative hearings and "in any other legal action."

Wooton's bill calls for a penalty of at least one but not more than 15 years in prison for a conviction.

Cathy Gautreaux, executive director of the Louisiana Motor Transport Association, said the bill is an outgrowth of threats made against smaller trucking companies who were told not to testify against legislation last year that would allow truckers to carry bigger loads.

"People are being denied the ability to participate in the process," she said. "Large companies are pressuring smaller businesses not to participate in the legislate process" and in some cases have been threatened with the loss of contracts or business if they do.

Rep. Walt Leger III, D-New Orleans, a former assistant Orleans Parish district attorney, said that the tighter laws are drawn, the more "wiggle room" defense lawyers have to get charges thrown out. "You want it to be broad," he said.

Leger said that existing law now covers threats but convictions are hard to come by because victims rarely want to come forward.

The panel also approved, without dissent, Senate Bill 182 by Sen. Francis Thompson, D-Delhi, to keep a jailed inmate from having access to computer-based social networking sites like MySpace or Facebook.

The bill would prohibit an inmate from creating or maintaining a website or homepage while in prison, said Thomas Bickham, undersecretary of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections.

Violators would be fined up to $500, jailed for up to 30 days or both.

Rep. Helena Moreno, D-New Orleans, amended Thompson's bill to make it apply just to those who are incarcerated, not to those on probation parole or under home incarceration.

Ed Anderson can be reached at eanderson@timespicayune.com or 225.342.5810.